Joining the Party
by Usami
Summary: /pending Subspace Emissary/ It would take the combined efforts of all the heroes to defeat the greatest enemy in Subspace...even those who showed up late.


I'm not going to lie: I thought Brawl was pretty amazing. It's just such a great game, and the Subspace Emissary story was especially cool to play.

That's not to say there aren't any problems with it, though. As much as I loved how Sonic was added into Brawl (and I don't want to hear from the Sonic haters, or from anyone who thinks it was stupid; Sonic had such a high demand, that the creators had no choice _but _to add him in...and he's already there anyway, so it's too late to do anything about it), I couldn't understand why he was in Subspace Emissary. I kept wondering: _Why _did Sonic have to be in the storyline? It really didn't serve any purpose. And if he _had _to be in Subspace Emissary, _why _was he so late?

So of course, I decided to write a story about it, trying to give some kind of explanation (and I know that this subject has already been written about, but please give me a chance). I made up a lot of stuff, though, after getting an idea while watching my family play the story mode. But I think I mostly just answered the 'why was he involved in Subspace' and not the 'why is he so late' question. But you can go ahead and read it for youself if you like.

Please go easy on me, for this (and another story I've just posted up) is the first time I've attempted to write a Super Smash Bros. story. I hope it's all right. Anyway, enjoy.

**Joining the Party**

Though the wind blew roughly all around him, years of experience helped Sonic stand firmly in place on the back of the Tornado while his younger friend maneuvered through the air. Arms crossed over his chest, he couldn't keep the impatient tap from his foot as he wondered when they'd arrive to their destination. It was bad enough they'd been flying for hours (he was not known for standing in one place for too long), but the fact that there was nothing but ocean for miles below them did nothing to help his current mood.

Still, the trip and water aside, there was an uneasy feeling that he couldn't quite place…as they approached the island, the agitation coursed through his veins and pumped through his legs, urging him to run as fast as he could go.

Something was wrong, that much he knew. Especially after everything Knuckles told them…

* * *

_The faint, painful groan caused his ears to twitch, and Sonic turned just in time to see the familiar violet eyes flutter open. Soon, Tails and Amy joined him, and they watched as Knuckles slowly sat up._

_"Knuckles!" the cobalt hedgehog said. "Glad to see you're still alive."_

_The echidna grunted, resting his head in his giant palm. "Where…where am I?" he rasped. "Wh-what happened?"_

_"You're in my workshop," Tails replied. "We found you along shore, and you were hurt pretty badly. I did what I could to patch you up, but…"_

_"But you're gonna have to tell us what happened before that, man," Sonic said, watching the older teen with a curious frown. "How'd ya get beat up so bad?"_

_At first, the guardian said nothing; his eyes searched the bed, trying to remember what occurred. Then they narrowed, and he threw the blanket off his bandaged body. "I-I gotta…get back to the island," he muttered through clenched teeth._

_Amy, who was the closest one to Knuckles, caught him as he stumbled out of bed. "Knuckles, you have to rest!" she protested._

_"Yeah, man," Sonic said, "you can barely stand! I'm surprised you're even up now, given the way we found you!"_

_Knuckles shook his head. "You don't…understand. I have to get back…to the island…now!" His fists tightened. "He…he knows…"_

_Sonic and Tails exchanged puzzled looks, then turned back to the echidna. "Who knows?" the fox asked._

_"I don't…really know _what_ he is," Knuckles admitted. "He called himself…Ganondorf. But…he's like…a monster."_

_"And this…Ganondorf…knows what?" Sonic pressed, trying hard not to laugh at the name. "About the Master Emerald?"_

_The guardian shook his head, his eyes darkening. "No…he knows…about the Floating Island of the Ancients."_

_Sonic stared and blinked, glancing quickly at the young mechanic who could only shrug. Looking at the echidna again, he asked, "The what?"_

_"The Floating Island of the Ancients," Knuckles repeated, his voice a whispered hiss as Amy managed to force him back down on the bed. "That was the name Angel Island had long ago, back when it was first separated from land."_

_"Why'd they change the name?" the pink hedgehog wondered._

_"Because the Floating Island eventually stood for something else." Knuckles paused and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. "After the island rose, there were many residents who started growing restless. They were stuck and isolated from the rest of the world, and eventually didn't know what to do with themselves. So some of the people turned to science and technology. Deep underneath the island, they built a research base where they could study and develop fantastic inventions. Since they were cut off from the surface, their work grew so advanced…they constructed devices far ahead of their time._

_"But eventually they realized that what they created was much too powerful and far too dangerous for anyone to own…after they and the people below them were nearly wiped out by the machines they made. Somehow, they managed to shut it all down, including the research facility, and they vowed to never mess with any of that again."_

_"Hold up a sec," Sonic said, holding up a hand. "So you're saying there's a science lab underneath Angel Island?"_

_Knuckles glared at him. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it…"_

_"Well, that explains all the mechanical traps you used on us when we first met you," Tails said thoughtfully. "Still, I never would have guessed anything like _that_ existed under Angel Island."_

_"That's because no one is supposed to know about it," the echidna retorted. "The Floating Island of the Ancients was later used to describe the research facility after it was shut down and locked away, and they changed the name to Angel Island so as to protect the technology from anyone who'd try to use it. Part of the guardian's duty is to make sure the facility is never found. No one ever really goes after it, though…" Knuckles placed his hand to his head. "After all this time, I almost forget about it…"_

_"Until today," Sonic pointed out._

_Knuckles scowled. "That guy…Ganondorf…He showed up on the island and demanded where the base was…I didn't think too much about it at first, but then he called it the Floating Island of the Ancients instead of Angel Island, and I knew he meant trouble. I tried to fight him off, but he has this power…I barely even remember what happened." He shook himself out of it, attempting to get to his feet again. "Doesn't matter. He's probably already reactivated the research facility by now…so I have to go back."_

_Sonic placed a restraining hand on the guardian's chest, mindful of the injury he knew was there. "And what do you plan to do, Knucklehead?" he asked. "This Ganondoof already pounded you once, so I'd think it'd be easier for him to finish the job second time around."_

_Knuckles glared, clenching his fists so his sharp namesakes were visible. "I _have _to go back," he growled._

_"You _need_ to rest," Sonic shot back. "Just sit back and chill, Knux. Tails and I will head to Angel Island and deal with this."_

_"Sonic!" Amy said. "I wanna come too!"_

_The teen hero frowned slightly. He didn't much like the idea of her coming along with them to face anyone who could beat up Knuckles like _that_. Then an idea struck, and he shrugged. "Well, okay, if you wanna, I guess," he replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I was gonna ask you to do something for me, but…"_

_Amy blinked. "You want me to…do something…for_ you?"

_"Yeah, but if you wanna come, I guess I can't ask…"_

_"No, I'll do it!" she responded eagerly. "What do you want me to do?"_

_Holding down a sly smile, he leaned close to her and whispered, "I want ya to keep an eye on Knux…Y'know how stubborn he is, and he might try to head back to Angel Island anyway."_

_Knuckles suddenly scoffed, but said nothing else._

_"…And I just want you to make sure he stays here and gets some rest. And try to make him feel better, okay?"_

_She nodded. "You can count on me!"_

_He gave her a wink as he added, "I know you can do it, Amy." Then he turned to Tails. "Ready to go?"_

_The fox hesitated, his twin tails twitching slightly. "I guess…" he answered. But then he turned to the echidna. "Hey, Knuckles?"_

_"What?" the guardian replied._

_"The…technology that was developed in the Floating Island…What does it _do?"

_Knuckles paused, looking down at the floor. "I don't know," he said. "But honestly, I've never wanted to find out…"_

* * *

"Tails," Sonic said, "how much longer till we reach the island?"

"Well…" the pilot said slowly, "according to the coordinates Knuckles gave us, we _should_ be getting close…"

The fox's tone made the teen groan. "There's a 'but' somewhere in there, huh?"

Tails continued as though he hadn't heard the other. "But I can't seem to locate it on radar."

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked. "How can you _not_ find a giant mass of land in midair?"

"I don't know what's wrong. The readings are suddenly going off the charts!"

The hedgehog watched his younger friend fiddle with the controls for a bit when an unexpected chill forced him to look up. As he did so, his eyes widened. "Hey…Tails?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I found the problem…"

The kit looked up as well, and watched with large eyes as the dark sphere loomed over the horizon. Streaks of energy cackled inside the dome, and even from the Tornado they could feel the heat and pressure that radiated from it.

"That thing is huge!" Sonic blurted out.

"Do you…do you think…that's Angel Island?" Tails wondered.

The teen frowned, scratching his head. "Well, if it is, Knux ain't gonna be happy."

Tails veered off to the side, trying to avoid the ominous orb. But then he gasped. "Sonic, look!"

Sonic tore his eyes away from the shadowed globe, only to find the land nearby littered with similar, smaller ones. From their position high up in the air, they could see the domes that covered certain areas of the land, cackling with dark energy.

He knew something was very wrong...and he was going to find out what.

"Tails," he said, "I need you to do something for me."

"What is it, Sonic?"

He pointed to the sphere suspended over the ocean. "I need you to fly back over that thing."

The fox looked up at his friend. "We're not…going in that thing, are we?"

"'Course not. _You _are going back to the Mystic Ruins."

Tails's eyes widened. "Sonic, I'm not letting you go in there all by yourself!"

"Sorry, Kiddo," Sonic said. "I need you to check on Amy and Knuckles…make sure they're okay."

"But what about you? I mean, we don't even know what that thing is! What if you fall through it? You'll land in the ocean!"

Sonic winced; he hadn't thought of that. "Well…maybe you should stick around for a little bit. But if you don't see me come out, you go back to the Mystic Ruins."

"But, Sonic –!"

"Tails," Sonic said sternly, "I need you to do this for me, okay?"

Looking up at the teen, the fox frowned a little but nodded. "Just…be careful, Sonic."

"Hey, you know me," the hedgehog replied with a grin.

Carefully turning the plane, the young pilot increased their altitude so they would be over the sphere. As they drew closer, Sonic flinched as the heat seared through his fur, and the force gripped his stomach.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck." Then, just as the plane flew right above the sphere, Sonic jumped off and dove inside.

The sky and ocean disappeared around him as the shadows engulfed his body, absorbing him into the dimension. For as hot as it was outside, the hedgehog found that the inside was much colder, as a painful shiver ran through his spine.

He flipped, and suddenly felt himself land on some form of ground. He breathed heavily as his body tried to adjust to the heaviness that hung over him. He looked around, noticing the inside was not too different than the outside; the dark shadows interrupted by the streaks of cackling energy, swirling together in a cosmic torrent.

Then he noticed the glowing stairway, and resting on the platform just a few feet away from him was a massive, unmoving hand.

"Okay…" he muttered, his voice echoing in the opalescent emptiness, "that's kinda weird…" Ignoring the hand, his eyes then followed the stairway and saw the intensely bright light at the top.

Sonic grinned. "Well, that looks like a good place for a party." Hopping from one foot to the other, he raced up the stairs towards the mysterious radiance that waited for him at the top.

**The End**


End file.
